“I want to do much more than make your pulse race. I want your friendship and your confidence. I want to make you laugh and be your best secret keeper. I want to capture your heart”

From the Publisher:

“Single mom, Eisley Barrett, prefers to keep romance housed within a centuries-old mystery, but when she travels to England to unearth the secret, an actor with a sordid past offers her heart a very different type of discovery.

Wes Harrison has a past he’s ashamed to confess. Suspicious and cynical, he’s managed to avoid romantic entanglements since a tragedy upended his career and life, that is until American Eisley Barrett comes along. Her authenticity and kindness upend his bitter assumptions and send his heart into unscripted territory.

When his past threatens to ruin a second chance at love, can some Appalachian matchmaking and letters from the grave salvage their unexpected romance?

My Review:

I have been in such a reading slump, I’m so glad I picked this book up! I’ve tried to read about two or three other books and, after a few chapters, I don’t have the energy to read anymore and put it aside. Then I realized Pepper Basham’s books are nearly impossible for me to not make through and so I put this book through the test…and it passed! If I didn’t start it so late at night, I would have read it in one sitting.

I tell you guys, Pepper has some sort of magical ingredients (I’m thinking pixie dust!) that she puts in each and every book because I honestly walk away from them with a new outlook at life and some of the best one-liners and witty phrases—I’m thinking of keeping a book of them that I can reference whenever I need something clever to say.

This book was absolutely wonderful, y’all! I am so enamored with the characters and the Britallachian theme in it. I mean, how can you not love having both British and Appalachian characters in a book?! Eisley is my spirit animal with her clumsiness and lack of control over her tongue, I adored her—she’s now on the top of my list of favorite heroines.

As for Wes, let’s not get started. He’s British and literally described as “Ghiradelli in human form” so I really don’t have to give any more of an explanation on why he’s amazing.

Except, I will.

He’s such a soft-hearted, caring person and the perfect match for Eisley. I adored his character and all his quirks and charms mixed in with his chocolate personality…and closet kisses… *cough* … but we won’t get into that.

Also, Eisley’s children are such wonderful additions! I really enjoy having kids in books because they add a whole new, fun dynamic to it. They’re the sweetest, most adorable things and the portrayals were spot-on.

In regards to the storyline, having adventure and the discovery of ancestors and their pasts as part of the story was such a refreshing twist! It was interesting to have the mixture of present and past within the pages as I experienced the excitement of learning history through Eisley’s character. I really enjoyed this aspect of Just the Way You Are, especially since I enjoy both Historical and Contemporary Fiction.

One reason I know I will always like Pepper’s books is because she handles the most difficult themes in the best way—her characters find forgiveness yet still experience pain on the deepest of levels. In the midst of all this, there is elements of humor and quirkiness in her characters and the storyline. I have never read a book of hers that I found boring, clinched, or superficial; instead, I usually find myself laughing and crying by the end of the book.

Not always at the same time.

Though, it has happened and it’s not a pleasant picture.

😉

I hope you find this book as enjoyable to read as I did! I’m so excited to see what is in store next!

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

FIVE STARS!

Would definitely recommend! Especially if you love humor and the beauty of finding forgiveness and grace through all the pain that life hands us.